With 2021 coming to an end, we only have eight years left to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Is the decade of climate action delivering on its promises? In 2019, the United Nations declared that after many years of talks to achieve the globally coordinated climate and social policies included in the SDGs, 2020 should usher in ‘the decade of action’. Or as Greta Thunberg put it at this year’s COP26, no more “blah blah blah”. In this article, we look at the current state of climate action and the likelihood that the world will achieve its SDG promises before the 2030 deadline. Government action At government level, it is fair to say the pace of action is picking up. Practically every country now has some kind of climate legislation in place, and 237 of these laws were passed since 2020 alone. As of June 2021, 1,900 local governments and 34 countries had declared a climate emergency. In Europe, since the launch of the European Green New Deal, new regulatory proposals on environmental or social matters are contemplated every week, and a decarbonisation roadmap has been set out to achieve 55% emissions reduction by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Citizen action The strengthening of the regulatory framework around climate is leading to an increase in climate litigation, whereby citizens or associations can sue their own governments for taking actions that go against their commitment to fight climate change. One recent example of this is the Stop Cambo lawsuit against the UK government for approving a new oil field in the North Sea. The lawsuit itself is against the government, but the public campaign led by environmental activists gained so much traction that one of the project’s private owners (Shell) pulled out in early December just a few days before the court date, leading to a “pause” in the project development. According to the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the cumulative number of climate change-related litigation cases has more than doubled since 2015, and this trend is set to continue. Business action New regulations and customer expectations are also leading to action in the business sphere. For instance, in July 2021, the European Commission adopted the Sustainable Finance Strategy and proposed a new European Green Bond Standard to increase investment in the EU’s transition towards a sustainable economy. Globally, new regulations on transparency regarding environmental risks for investment portfolios have led to an exponential increase in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment. According to MorningStar, by June 2021, ESG fund assets had reached US$2.24 trillion, almost double from US$1.28 trillion at the end of 2019. This is setting the course for economic initiatives and corporate strategic plans. Today, 622 of the 2,000 largest publicly traded companies have made net-zero commitments.  Innovation is the strength of the private sector, and when applied to climate, it can create lasting change. New developments in clean energy technologies such as solar panels and batteries, for instance, have fuelled the tremendous growth of renewable electricity and electric vehicle adoption in the past few years. In 2020, 29% of global electricity generation came from renewables, and 2021 saw renewable generation capacity increase by 290 gigawatts. The International Energy Agency predicts a 60% rise in renewable electricity capacity between 2020 and 2026, to over 4,800 gigawatts – equivalent to the current total global power capacity of fossil fuels and nuclear combined. Reality check Despite this flurry of action, scientists are unanimous: we are not on track to meet the Paris Agreement’s commitments. In 2021, global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are expected to reach 36.4 billion tonnes, only 0.8% below pre-pandemic levels. The IEA notes that in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, renewable power capacity additions over the period 2021-26 would need to average almost double the current rate. And the State of Climate Action 2021 report, published last November, makes a clear statement that “the hard truth is that for many transformations, action is incremental at best, and headed in the wrong direction altogether at worst”. In fact, none of the 40 indicators assessed in the report are on track to meet environmental targets.  We need to correct this trajectory and dramatically accelerate the delivery of climate commitments in all spheres: government, private sector and civil society. It is time to  achieve gigaton decarbonisation by simultaneously reducing global emissions and increasing the financing available to climate mitigation projects. At company level, this means it is time to calculate your carbon footprint, implement emissions reduction measures, and offset remaining emissions to achieve carbon neutrality. ClimateTrade can help: register for free on our marketplace or get in touch with our team. As the State Climate Action report authors put it: “We must not only do better. We must do what it takes.”

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”none” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””] What can you do to improve sustainability in remote work? More than a year after the Covid-19 virus forced the world into lockdown, a new variant and rising infection rates in Europe are once again pushing people toward remote work. The pandemic led many companies to implement remote working to avoid workplace contagion. Now, employees that have enjoyed this flexibility in the past year expect to maintain it, at least partially, in the future. And with seemingly unending waves of large-scale Covid-19 infections, it appears remote work is here to stay. In terms of sustainability, working from home presents a very clear benefit in avoiding the daily commute and the carbon footprint that goes with it. It is estimated that carbon dioxide emissions from transportation dropped by 15% during lockdown. But remote working is not necessarily as good for the environment as it seems, since it also involves spending a lot of energy on lighting, heating or air conditioning, electronic equipment and many other resources needed to work comfortably from home. One report found that weekday home electricity consumption increased by 20% in the UK during lockdown. A growing environmental awareness has pushed people to develop new habits at home in recent years, such as avoiding waste or reducing energy consumption. For remote work to be more environmentally friendly than office work, these habits need to continue when home becomes the office. So, how can we ensure energy efficiency when working remotely? Reduce energy use The first thing that can be done to reduce the monthly expenditure is to regulate the room temperature to 20ºC in winter and 26ºC in the summer season, comfortable temperatures that don’t require too much energy. Another measure is to switch to low-consumption or LED light bulbs in the house, which is positively reflected in the electricity bill at the end of the month. Choose natural light Make the most of natural light by raising the blinds, opening the curtains and choosing light colours for the walls. This will ensure that you benefit from what the planet naturally offers and avoid putting too much pressure on its resources. Smart Houses: technology as an ally Smart homes are synonymous with monitoring, which can help you know when and where your energy is being spent. With this visibility, you can implement easy changes with a big impact on your energy consumption. Charging intervals If you have devices with a certain autonomy, it is best not to have them always plugged in. Once the battery is charged, disconnect them and keep working until you need to charge them again. If you don’t use it, turn it off In most homes and offices, extension cords and plugs are used to connect various devices to the power grid. Once you have finished your work day, don’t forget to turn off the main switch to avoid consuming unnecessary energy. Renewable energy sources If you have a choice, switch to a renewable energy provider: make the most of renewable energy sources such as solar panels or windmills. You can also implement efficient heating systems such as underfloor heating, and set up energy recycling systems in your home. There are always ways to be more sustainable in our everyday life. Now that you know how to reduce your impact in remote work, we encourage you to do it in other areas of your life. If you are a company looking to calculate carbon footprint after implementing remote work, we can help! Get in touch with our experts. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]